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BEIJING, March 11 (UPI) -- Chinese tech buyers won't have to wait until April 24 for the Apple Watch, if they want to be seen sporting a similar product run on an Android platform. A day after Apple unveiled its latest wearable product, counterfeit Apple watches were cropping up on China's largest online shopping mall, Taobao, and other outlets of consumer commerce.
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The Financial Times reported Wednesday most items are not branded and cost as low as $40, or about a tenth of the least expensive model available from Apple.
Chinese e-commerce website Taobao was advertising the knockoff watches this week but also warned against comparisons with the original product.
"Also, please stop asking us if this is the actual Apple watch," the seller stated online.
Alibaba, the Chinese company that began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in September, owns Taobao.
The products can also be found in the electronic markets of Chinese cities like Shenzhen, CNN Money reported.
The fakes are often unmistakable imitations of the design and style of the Apple product. The featured icons also resemble the ones on Apple's home screen, but most run on Android operating systems.
Social media users around the world mocked the counterfeits.
Knockoffs in China, however, haven't deterred Apple from marketing to wealthy Chinese consumers.
The Financial Times reported Apple's gold-case luxury model, costing up to $17,000, was for rich Chinese.
In his presentation on Monday, Tim Cook pointed out WeChat, China's popular chatting app, could be used on the Apple Watch.
